It Has Always Been Her
by zokaizane
Summary: Fed up with his lazy attitude, Judy blackmails Nick into going on matchmaking dates to find a girlfriend that'll motivate him to work harder. However, as Nick continues to describe his dream girl, he realizes his soul mate might be closer than he thinks. Oneshot! Judy x Nick
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I watched the movie and I was just smitten with JudyxNick, so I whipped up this oneshot of how they (haltingly) find love. This story is very heavily based on _Of Balls and Brides_ by _TooDarnLazy_ , which is one of my favorite fanfictions ever. If you're in the Naruto fandom, I recommend you check it out. There will definitely be some similar moments, but this is a completely different fandom, so I hope you'll find an unique flair that makes you smile.**

 **I do not own any part of Zootopia.**

* * *

Nicholas Wilde took a sip of his coffee and propped his legs on his desk. It was a slow day at Precinct 1 in Zootopia today, so most of the police officers were in the bullpen, finishing up paperwork or working on long-term cases. Nick had his own paperwork to do, though it currently sat neglected under his feet, since he and his partner made a huge arrest the other day, catching a bank robber who has been terrorizing the city for months.

 _Speaking of his partner…_

"Nick Wilde, get your paws off your desk and get to work!" snapped the angry bunny who sat across from him.

Nick smirked. "Why work when it's such a beautiful day out, Carrots?"

"That makes no sense, and you know it," said Judy Hopps with a frown. "Hurry up. The sooner you finish your work, the sooner we can go on patrol."

Nick almost laughed at her, amused at the way she was practically buzzing with energy and impatiently tapping her paw. Judy hated slow days like this more than anyone else. She would much rather be out on the streets, arresting criminals and protecting the citizens of Zootopia. It's been two years since they became partners, but Nick never tired of watching her so actively involved in the job. The thought of her boundless energy and her strong sense of justice made him smile.

"Hey!" shouted Judy, snapping in front of Nick's face. "Are you even listening to me?"

"To you, Carrots? Never."

Judy scowled and crossed her arms. "Whatever," she muttered irritably. "I don't know how you managed to graduate from the Police Academy with that attitude."

"It was my charm that got me through," said Nick, flashing a grin at her. _And thinking of you_ , whispered a voice in his mind that Nick promptly crushed.

Judy snorted. "What charm? I haven't seen you with a single woman from the moment I met you two years ago."

"Don't you know?" said Nick lazily. "We foxes are not only sly, but we also have the ability to charm the socks off anyone we meet."

"Oh?" replied Judy, her ears perking up. "Is that so?"

"Of course."

"Then I know what must be done," said Judy, slamming her fist down on the table with such force that Nick almost jumped out of his seat.

"I'm going to find you a girlfriend."

* * *

Nick spit out his coffee, much to the dismay of the officer passing by. "What?!" he asked, shocked.

"You need a woman in your life to keep you motivated," said Judy firmly. "The only way to cure you of your lazy attitude is to get you a girlfriend who you'll constantly want to impress with your work ethic and heroics. This is the only way to get you on your feet."

"No, no way, Carrots," said Nick, shaking his head. "If I wanted a girlfriend, I would have one by now. There's nothing you can do to change my mind."

Judy stared at him, a mischievous grin widening on her face. "Are you sure?" she asked, lifting up her carrot recording pen. "Remember when we went out for drinks and karaoke with the rest of the station?"

Nick narrowed his eyes. "You didn't."

"Oh, but I did," said Judy, spinning the pen between her fingers. "Your drunk rendition of Gazelle's 'Good Bye' was…interesting, to say the least. It would be a shame if this recording got broadcasted over the PA system…"

"Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

"That's not fair!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," said Judy with a smirk. "I'll let you delete the recording IF you go on three dates that I will set up for you."

Nick groaned in exasperation. He was really rubbing off on Judy, and that wasn't a good thing. "Fine," he grumbled. "Fine, you win. I'll go on those dates, but you can't expect me to actually find love."

"I found fourteen missing mammals," replied Judy confidently. "I think I can find you a girlfriend." She flipped open her notepad, like she was questioning a witness. "So…what is the woman of your dreams like?"

Nick choked on his now lukewarm coffee. "I thought you were just going to send me on blind dates."

"What am I, a mind reader?" Judy sighed and clicked her pen. "Come on Wilde, we're burning daylight."

Nick stared at her in disbelief. She was so damn persistent! He had no idea why he decided to get involved with this frustrating…energetic…infuriating…stubborn…beautiful…

 _Wait what?!_

He flushed dark red. He did _not_ just think that! He did _not_ just think that Carrots was beautiful! Judy misinterpreted his blush to mean he was thinking of his ideal date and tapped her pen against her notepad to get his attention.

"Your ideal woman…?" said Judy expectantly.

"She has to be tough and energetic," said Nick reluctantly. "I don't need to be shackled to some depressed mammal for the evening."

"Tough and energetic, gotcha!" exclaimed Judy cheerfully. She hopped out of her seat. "Keep your evening open, Nick!" With that, she bounded out of the room, whistling happily. Nick rubbed his snout, feeling a headache coming on.

 _I just signed a contract with a floppy-eared devil._

* * *

Benjamin Clawhauser munched happily on a donut while watching Gazelle's newest music video.

"She's so talented and beautiful," he mumbled dreamily. "I can't wait to see her concert next week." As he sat there, daydreaming about Gazelle, Nick Wilde walked through the Precinct's front door with a foul expression on his face.

"Hi there, Nicky!" exclaimed Ben, waving at him excitedly. "Would you like a donut?"

"No thanks, Benny," muttered Nick irritably. "Not in the mood for sweets."

Ben gave a more-for-me kind of shrug and chomped down on another donut. "What's got your tail in a twist?" he asked through a mouthful of crumbs.

"It's Carrots," replied Nick, squeezing his eyes closed. "She's got it in her head that I need a girlfriend, so she's planning two more blind dates for me. Last night, she sent me on a dinner with a _gerbil_. A freaking _gerbil_! When I said tough and energetic, I did not expect a _gerbil_!"

 _Tough and energetic?_ thought Ben, confused. _Doesn't that describe…_

"Hey partner!" shouted Judy, running up to sock Nick in the shoulder. "Hi Ben!"

"Hey Carrots," grumbled Nick, though Ben saw that his scowl softened a little. "Aren't you cheerful this morning?"

"What are you talking about?" replied Judy with a cheeky grin. "I'm always like this. Who wouldn't be excited for another day of protecting the citizens of Zootopia?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Your energy is exhausting, cute bunny."

"Hey! Only bunnies can call each other cute, and you know that," chided Judy, kicking him in the shin. While Nick clutched his leg in pain, Judy's ears shot up, turning towards the meeting room.

"Come on Nick!" she yelled, bouncing away. "Roll call is starting in five minutes!"

"I'm handicapped here, Carrots!" said Nick, gesturing to his leg. Judy let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed his paw, dragging him over to the meeting room. Nick looked back at Ben and gave him a lazy two-fingered salute in farewell.

Ben looked at them curiously, excitement bubbling up within him. _Could it be? Could it actually be happening?_ He quickly pressed the intercom button.

"What is it, Clawhauser?" snapped a gruff voice on the other end.

"Chief Bogo! Chief Bogo!" exclaimed Clawhauser giddily. "Remember what we talked about last month? About Officers Hopps and Wilde?"

"Is it happening?" asked Bogo.

"I think so, sir! You know what this means."

There was a brief silence. Then, Chief Bogo sighed. "I give them three days to confess their love for each other."

"Really?" said Clawhauser, almost bursting with excitement. "I think it'll happen tomorrow!"

"No way," said Bogo with a snort. "That's too soon."

"You know the deal. Loser has to buy two tickets for Gazelle's concert next week."

Bogo sighed. "Fine. It's not my problem if you lose money over this. I have roll call to get to now."

Clawhauser turned off the intercom, squealing.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

"1204 hours, still no sign of the perp," said Judy, looking out the window with a pair of binoculars.

"1204 hours, Officer Wilde is bored out of his mind," said Nick mockingly. He was reclined all the way back in his chair, reading the latest issue of _Mammals Weekly_. "Why don't you take a break, Carrots? We've been monitoring this house for four hours now." Chief Bogo, who had been eyeing them kind of weirdly this morning, assigned them to stake out this house, which was allegedly an illegal catnip den. Judy had been elated to receive a case, but Nick was considerably less pleased to be staring at a building for hours on end.

"Justice never takes a break."

Nick sighed and reached into the brown paper bag he brought with him. "Will justice take a break for a carrot crème donut?" he asked, waving the donut in front of Judy's nose.

Judy's nose twitched, and her mouth watered at the tantalizing smell. After a moment's hesitation, she put down the binoculars and swiftly grabbed the donut out of Nick's paw.

"Thanks," she mumbled, nibbling on the donut. "While we're on break, I need to ask you how your date last night was."

Nick groaned, throwing his magazine down on the floor. He had been hoping that she had forgotten. "Sweet gal, but totally not my type," he said. "I forgot to mention that I'm not into gerbils."

"Damn it!" said Judy, pounding her fist on the dash. "I was so sure I nailed the 'tough and energetic' angle!"

"Maybe you should give up," said Nick, hoping she would agree with him for once. His hopes were quickly crushed.

"Judy Hopps does not give up," swore Judy. "I will do better tonight! I will find you your dream girl!"

Nick laughed. "Doubt it." Judy shot him a withering look, which only made Nick laugh harder. She looked so funny, trying to seem angry when she had crumbs all over her face.

"You've got a little something on your face, Carrots," he said with a smirk.

Judy furrowed her brow and rubbed her mouth. "Is it gone now?" she asked.

"Most of it," said Nick. "But you've still got a little something _right_ below your whiskers. Here, I got it…"

He brought his paw up and lightly brushed it against her cheek and the corner of her lips. Once the realization of what he did sank in, the two of them quickly turned away from one another. Nick could feel his cheeks heating up and buried his face in his paws.

 _What were you thinking?!_ he berated himself. _That was such a bold move! Towards your best friend!_

"We've got movement!"

Nick's head snapped up, and he followed Judy's gaze to where three bobcats were loading several suspicious boxes into a large white van. He discreetly opened the window a crack and took a whiff.

"Oh, that's catnip, all right," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Lots of it."

"Sounds like probable cause to me!" said Judy as she opened the door and jumped out. Nick sighed and also got out of the car, putting on his signature shades. "Always the go-getter," he muttered to himself.

"ZPD!" shouted Judy, flashing her badge. "We have some questions for you fellas."

The bobcats took off in a flash, quickly splitting up. Looking at each other for a brief second, they both wordlessly decided to go after the biggest bobcat, who looked like the leader.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps!" Judy yelled into her handheld radio transceiver as they ran. "We have a Z37, three suspects on the run! One headed north on Charleston Street, one headed east on Savannah Road, and one headed south on Angeles Drive. Officers Hopps and Wilde are in pursuit on Savannah Road but requesting backup on Angeles Drive and Charleston Street."

The wind whipped past Nick's face as dodged a few obstacles in his way. He briefly looked over at Judy, who had her violet eyes locked on perp, pumping her arms as she ran. This was his favorite version of Judy, the one whose eyes sparkled brightly with excitement when doing the job she lived and breathed.

"Stop in the name of the law!" she shouted.

 _God, I love it when she says that._

The two of them followed the perp as he haphazardly cut across oncoming traffic, nearly causing a crash. Judy signaled to Nick to move onto the bridge and try to cut off the bobcat from the right. He nodded and split off, jumping over a sofa being carried by two opossums. Nick took a sharp turn onto the bridge and, right when the bobcat turned back to look at Judy, stuck out his paw and tripped the bobcat.

"Why do they always run?" said Nick as Judy cuffed the bobcat. "They should know better than to run from the ZPD."

"Big words, coming from an ex-con," retorted Judy. They both pulled the bobcat up and led him back to the ZPD for questioning.

"Ok, you have to give me another hint," said Judy, looking up at Nick mischievously. "What else do you see in your dream woman?"

Nick glared at her. "We just cuffed a perp, and you want to talk about my love life?" he asked. "That's not like you, Carrots."

"Justice has been served, but _you_ still don't have a girlfriend," replied Judy. "Come on, just one little hint."

Seeing her glowing face, Nick just had to smile. She was always like this after they successfully closed a case or cuffed a perp. Her radiance came from her love of her job and justice. He had never met anyone with greater determination than Judy Hopps.

"A strong sense of justice," he finally replied, unaware of the fact he was still smiling softly. Nick was staring dreamily at the sky, so he missed the look that crossed Judy's face.

"One mammal with a strong sense of justice coming right up!" she said quickly. "I'll take this bobcat to booking, and you can get started on your paperwork." With that, she bounced away, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Judy pulled on her ear thoughtfully. _A strong sense of justice?_ she thought, confused. _I never would've expected that coming from Nick. Where am I going to find a mammal with a strong sense of justice?_

"Officer Hopps?"

Judy looked up, startled. "Ah, Officer Lewlynxsky," she said, nodding to the female spotted lynx who recently transferred to Precinct 1 from the Savannah. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could point me to booking?" she asked. "I'm still unfamiliar with the building."

"Certainly!" chirped Judy, hopping out of her seat. The two of them chatted as they walked.

"How long have you been on the force in the Savannah?" asked Judy.

"Four years," replied Officer Lewlynxsky. "I've heard a lot about you, Officer Hopps. Police forces all across Zootopia still talk about your legendary exploits in the missing mammal case."

Judy puffed up with pride. "Thank you," she said happily. "I couldn't have done it without my partner, Officer Wilde, though."

"Oh, I've heard a lot about him too!" said Officer Lewlynxsky chuckling. "You two make an interesting pair. My sense of justice tingles just by standing around you!"

 _Sense of justice?!_ thought Judy, her ears pointing straight up. She quickly clasped her paws around Officer Lewlynxsky's.

"Are you doing anything tonight, Officer Lewlynxsky?"

* * *

Nick wanted to punch something. Or watch paint dry. Or die. Anything was better than this awkward dinner with Officer Lewlynxsky, who politely informed him that her first name was Janice, and that she already had a boyfriend.

"So what are we doing here?" asked Janice after they finished their entrees.

"For the record, this was not my idea," said Nick with a deep sigh. "Officer Hopps is blackmailing me into going on blind dates to find a girlfriend. She thinks having a woman in my life will improve my work ethic."

"Ah, that explains it," said Janice, letting the waiter take away her plate. "She was talking so fast that I didn't have time to tell her I was already taken. Sorry if that makes you feel awkward."

Nick shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "It's fine. I'm only doing this for Carrots' sake anyway. I didn't know who I would be meeting tonight. You just happen to be her latest victim."

Janice nodded, and the two of them continued to sit in awkward silence until the desserts arrived.

"Tell me something, Officer Wilde," said Janice as Nick nibbled on some blueberry cobbler. "Why did you agree to this crazy girlfriend hunt if you already have Officer Hopps?"

Nick spit out his food, much to the dismay of a passing waiter. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I've only been at the precinct for a few days, but even I can see that you obviously care deeply for Judy, and she cares deeply about you," said Janice, handing a napkin to the poor waiter. "No one in the precinct can see you two with anyone but each other."

"You'll have to ask Carrots about that," said Nick with a shrug. "I'm getting blackmailed, remember? None of this was my idea."

However, as they finished up their meal, Nick couldn't stop thinking about what Janice said.

 _She cares deeply about you._

* * *

Nick woke up to the sound of someone pounding on his door. He groaned and checked the time on his phone.

"Seven A.M.?" he grumbled, squinting against the bright light of his screen. "There's only one person who's this energetic at this unholy time in the morning."

"Nick! Ni-ick!" sang Judy, her voice muffled by the door. "Open up, Nick!"

Nick groaned and rolled out of bed, scratching his chin. He opened his apartment door and glared at the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed bunny.

"Morning partner!" said Judy, stepping into his apartment. "Ready for another day of crime fighting?"

"Our shift doesn't start until 10, dumb bunny," said Nick, lightly punching her on the shoulder. "I could've gotten at least another 2 hours of sleep if you didn't show up."

"The early bunny gets the carrot," said Judy brightly, gently poking Nick in the side. Her eyes widened when she saw Nick flinch slightly. She poked him again.

"What are you doing, Carrots?" asked Nick warily, moving away from her.

"Are you ticklish?" asked Judy devilishly.

"What? No!" said Nick, but he looked off to the side, which Judy knew was a sign that he was lying.

"You are!" exclaimed Judy. In an instant, her fingers was all over him, tickling him relentlessly. The two of them hopped around the apartment in a strange dance as Nick tried to avoid her fingers and Judy attacked him while laughing hysterically. After a few minutes, Judy finally tackled him to the floor and subjected him to an extreme tickle attack.

"Alright, alright!" said Nick, holding his arms up in surrender. "You win, Carrots! Just stop tickling me!"

Judy finally stopped, but she continued giggling to herself. "That was fun," she said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're awake now."

It took a moment for them to realize that Judy was still sitting on top of Nick.

Judy quickly climbed off, and Nick stood up abruptly, taking a sudden interest in the dust on his clothes.

"What brings you to Savannah Central this morning?" questioned Nick, trying to break the awkward tension. "I assume it's not just for my award-winning smile."

"Oh yeah!" Judy looked around for the bag she left on the floor. "I bought you breakfast." She handed him a blueberry scone. "I also wanted to ask you about your date with Officer Lewlynxsky last night!"

"You really ought to do your research before setting up this dates, Carrots," said Nick, chewing his scone and taking a seat at his kitchen counter. "Lewlynxsky already has a boyfriend."

"Oh!" said Judy, turning red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that must've been really awkward."

"It's fine, Carrots. That just means you have one less chance to find my soul mate or whatever," said Nick with a smirk. Judy scowled and sulked, jumping into the chair next to him.

"You're never going to find love with that attitude," she muttered angrily, pulling a slice of carrot cake out of the paper bag.

"And what do you know about finding love?" asked Nick, amused. "As far as I can tell, you're married to your job."

"Hey! My parents taught me a thing or two about love," snapped Judy.

"Really?" said Nick in mock surprise. "Tell me, Carrots, how do you find your soul mate in a town where everyone looks almost the same?"

"Well, my mom told me that the moment she first knew that she was in love with my dad was when they went on a date to the Farmer's Market," said Judy.

"How exciting."

"Stuff it, Nick! Anyway, my mom got separated from my dad while looking at some sweet strawberries, and she was very worried she wouldn't be able to find him since the market was so crowded at the time."

"And all you bunnies look the same."

"I said stuff it, Nick! I'm trying to tell a story!" said Judy, glaring at him. Nick chuckled and gestured at her to keep talking.

"When my mom looked into the crowd, however," continued Judy. "She instantly locked on to him. Not because of pure coincidence, but because if you see something you've thought about a lot, it'll immediately stick out to you. That's when my mom realized that she did think about my dad a lot, all the time, in fact, and that's when she knew she was in love."

Nick looked at Judy, who was staring out the window with a dazed expression. He rather liked the way that the sun bounced off of her fur and made it gleam like silver, or the way the edges of her lips were curled upwards in a small smile. The stars in her violet eyes sparkled and danced with life in a way that was almost hypnotic…

"Nick!"

Nick was pulled out of his thoughts when Judy began waving her hand in front of his snout.

"I was asking you a question!" barked Judy, crossing her arms.

"You were?"

"Yes, dumb fox." Judy sighed. "Are there any more characteristics your perfect girl has that could help me narrow my search?"

Now it was Nick's turn to sigh. _I'm getting really tired of this game,_ he thought irritably. _I don't know why she's so insistent on finding me a girlfriend, but it's really getting on my nerves._ After pondering it for a second, Nick grinned evilly, deciding that he would tell her something so specific that she would never find a perfect match.

"Gray fur and violet eyes," he said smugly. "Let's see you find a match now."

To his surprise, Judy broke into a wide grin and pulled out her cellphone, quickly punching in a number.

"You're in luck!" she chirped after a brief phone conversation. "I met an officer at the Annual ZPD Gala—which you skipped—who just happens to meet your oddly specific criteria." She quickly finished her slice of carrot cake and hopped out of her seat.

"I've arranged for you two to meet during your lunch break!" said Judy as she headed out the door. "See you at the precinct!"

Nick watched her run out in shock. Then, he sighed deeply and miserably ate the rest of his scone in silence.

* * *

Judy nibbled on her veggie wrap, her appetite out the window. She and Nick were on their lunch break, but Nick was currently on a blind date with Officer McClaw, a gray fox with stunning amethyst eyes.

"He'll probably like her," she said to herself. "They're even the same species! If Nick doesn't fall for McClaw, then I don't know what else I can do for him." Even as she said that, Judy felt her heart clench tightly.

 _Things will be better in the long run_ , she reminded herself. _This is for the best._

Judy sighed and threw her wrap in the trash. She looked at the empty seat across from her, and her ears drooped slightly. Judy would never admit it to Nick's face, but she missed his snide comments and snarky jokes. Nick always knew what to say to cheer her up.

While she was thinking about Nick, a sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Two bobcats accidentally tripped a little boy who ran into them, but they paid no heed to the boy and continued walking forward quickly.

 _Wait…are those…?_

Judy's eyes widened. _Those are the same two bobcats that got away yesterday!_ she realized, jumping to her feet. _I have to get them!_ She hesitated briefly, remembering that her partner wasn't with her, and it took the both of them last time just to take down one bobcat, but she steeled herself and began running after the criminals. The moment they saw her, the bobcats took off, shoving civilians away as they attempted to make their escape. However, the streets were so crowded that they had to stay together, and Judy grinned.

 _Time to nail two perps with one stone_ , she thought, adrenaline pumping through her body.

"Dispatch! This is Officer Hopps! We have a Z37, two bobcat suspects headed north towards Zootopia Central Square. I'm requesting backup!"

* * *

Nick quickly walked out of the restaurant, wiping pie off his snout.

"Crazy fox," he muttered to himself. "She even left me to pay the entire bill."

His date with Officer McClaw was the worst one yet. It was obvious that she was definitely attracted to him and attempted to flirt, but Nick felt nothing towards her. Instead, he was in a bad mood the entire time and rebutted her advances with sarcastic comments. He was only joking when he said her snout was long enough to be an elephant's, but apparently that was the straw that broke the camel's back, and she threw her pie in his face before storming out in a huff. Nick was stunned and felt horrible for what he said, but he didn't try to run after her. He simply paid the bill and left the restaurant as fast as he could.

 _At least it's over,_ he thought with relief. _Carrots is never pulling me into one of her wild schemes again._ Nick wondered if Judy was finished with her lunch yet. They agreed to meet up back at the precinct, but Nick decided that he could probably find her at her favorite café first.

"I hope she's eating right," Nick said absentmindedly as he waited for the light to change so that he could cross the street. "For a bunny, she _really_ hates eating anything other than carrots, even though she needs the nutrients." Usually, he would badger her until she ate everything, and Judy would glare at him the entire time, making Nick laugh. She was just too adorable…

Nick was pulled out of his thoughts when his radio transceiver buzzed.

"Officers, be advised," said Clawhauser's voice through the transceiver. "There is a Z37 in progress. Two bobcats are headed north towards Zootopia Central Square. Officer Hopps is currently the only officer in pursuit."

Nick's eyes almost bulged out of his head. He cut across traffic and ran towards Zootopia Central Square, his heart pumping with both adrenaline and fear.

"Officer Wilde is responding!" he yelled into his transceiver as he swiftly maneuvered around the civilians on the crowded sidewalk. _Carrots is the only officer in pursuit?! What is she thinking?! She can't handle two bobcats on her own!_

It only took him a minute to reach Central Square, but his heart sank as he eyed the huge crowd of people headed back from their lunch break. "Carrots! Carrots!" he shouted, jumping up and desperately trying to look for his partner. "Judy!" He was frantic. Judy needed him, but there was no way he could spot her, and there was no way she could hear him. Nick didn't know what to do.

 _Tough and energetic._

 _Strong sense of justice._

 _Gray fur and violet eyes._

 _If you see something you've thought about a lot, it'll immediately stick out to you._

The world seemed to slow down as everything in Nick's jumbled mind finally clicked.

 _It has always been her._

From the moment he met Judy in that elephant ice cream shop two years ago, his life was never the same. She was the one who believed in him and gave him a second chance to be anything he wanted to be. Through their first case, during police academy, as partners, his entire life revolved around Judy before he knew it. She dominated his every thought and captured his attention just with her voice and her beautiful eyes. Suddenly, he realized that it was child's play to spot her in the masses of mammals that swarmed Zootopia Central Square because everything faded into the background when Judy was around. Nick could easily hear her ragged breaths and see her long ears flapping behind her as she eagerly pursued the criminals.

He could focus on nothing but Judy Hopps.

Nick darted into the crowd and weaved in and out, following the sound of Judy's voice demanding the bobcats to stop running. Soon, he could see the bobcats in question and sped towards them on a slanted collision course. Using his momentum, he charged forward and knocked both bobcats to the ground.

"You…are…under…arrest," gasped Nick as he cuffed one of the bobcats. Looking to his right, he saw Judy doing the same thing to the other bobcat, reciting to him his Miranda Rights. Pulling the bobcat to his feet, Judy turned and met Nick's gaze, giving him a relieved smile.

"Nick! I knew you would come!" she said as they escorted the bobcats back to the precinct. "You always have my back."

"Of course, Carrots," responded Nick with a grin. "You're the one who always needs saving." Instead of responding with a witty retort, Judy just kept smiling at him, and Nick's heart melted.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

It was nearly 11 at night. Nick and Judy were walking along the lamp-lit sidewalk on their way to the train station. They stayed in the precinct late so that they could finish up all their paperwork before the weekend.

"What an exciting day!" exclaimed Judy, her eyes sparkling. "I can't believe we took down two perps in one fell swoop!"

Nick smiled at her. "We sure make a great team, you and I," he said.

"We sure do," said Judy, smiling back at him. "I don't know why the Chief's reports say things like 'uncontrollable' and 'disruptive'. We're great!"

The two of them arrived at the train station and took a seat on an empty bench. "It's been such an exciting day that I forgot to ask you how your date went," said Judy, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Wonderful," replied Nick. "She just pied me in the face and left in a huff, which I heard is a universal sign of affection."

Judy groaned and placed a paw on her forehead. "Come on, Nick! I thought you were supposed to be charming."

"I am _very_ charming," protested Nick. "She just doesn't understand my sarcasm like you do."

"You mean, she doesn't tolerate your sarcasm like I do," retorted Judy. She sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out her carrot pan. "A promise is a promise," she said, handing him the pen. "Here you go."

Before Judy had a chance to blink, Nick pulled her outstretched paw to the side and handcuffed her to the bench.

"Hey!" shouted Judy, tugging at the cuffs. "What gives?"

"We played your game, now it's time to play mine," said Nick with a smirk. "I'm not giving you the keys until you answer my questions _truthfully_."

"Sly fox!"

"Dumb bunny."

"That's not fair!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," said Nick, spinning the key ring around on his finger. "You can play the game, or you can stay here all night. Your choice."

Judy glared at him for a second, then she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she snapped. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to help me find a girlfriend?"

Judy looked at him like he was stupid. "I already told you, Nick. You need a girlfriend to improve your work eth—"

"Yeah, no," interrupted Nick, shooting her an exasperated look. "We've been together long enough for me to know when you're not telling me the whole truth."

"I _am_ telling you the truth, you dumb fox!" growled Judy. "Let me go!"

"Nope, I'm not convinced," said Nick, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Judy's small frame was trembling with what Nick assumed to be fury. "Fine," she hissed angrily. "You want to know why I want to get you a girlfriend? It's because you're too infuriating to be around anymore!"

Nick took a step back, shocked. " _What?"_ he whispered, a tinge of hurt in his voice.

"It's true!" said Judy, her voice shaking with the force of her emotions. "Every time you sit in the bullpen with your feet on your desk, I want to hit something because you look so handsome and cool in your uniform! Every time we catch a criminal, I want to scream in frustration because all I want is for you to wrap your arms around me and dance with joy! Every time you grin at me, my heart starts doing all these flips and butterflies start fluttering in my stomach and I can't stand it any longer! Every time I'm around you, I have to work to keep my snout shut because all I want to say is that I…"

Judy trailed off, and her ears drooped forward, covering her face. Nick saw her shoulders shaking with sobs, and he felt a pang of guilt accompanied by a feeling of hope. _Could it be that she also…?_ He reached over and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Judy stiffened, and then she continued crying, wetting Nick's uniform with tears.

"All I want to say is that I love you, Nicholas Wilde," said Judy between sobs. "I love you so much and it's tearing me apart. I can't concentrate on my job, I can't concentrate at home, I can't concentrate on anything but you and it infuriates me! What hurts the most is that I know I want the impossible because even now, you're probably thinking of some snarky joke to humiliate me when what I really want to hear you say is—"

"I love you too, Judy."

Judy looked up at Nick in surprise, and Nick smiled as her brushed her ears back.

"It took me a while to realize it, but I've been describing you for the entirety of your crazy girlfriend hunt," he said, tucking her head under his neck. "That's why you had such a hard time trying to find a perfect match because you were never going to be able to find yourself. You're my best friend and perfect soulmate, Judy Hopps. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that."

They stayed in that tight embrace for just a while longer, the weight of hidden love finally off their backs. This was the way it always meant to be. From the moment their paths crossed, they were destined to find love in each other. After a few minutes, Judy drew back, wiping her eyes.

"Well, that was embarrassing," she joked, laughing nervously. "Are you going to uncuff me now?"

"Oh, I already did a while ago," said Nick, holding up the cuffs with a smug grin.

"What?! When?!"

"While you were confessing your love for me." Nick smirked as Judy's face turned beet red. "You bunnies are so emotional." Judy was about to reply with a scathing response when something in the sky caught her attention.

"Nick! Look!" she exclaimed. Nick looked up and saw a shower of stars rain from the sky. It was a spectacular sight, and though it only lasted for a few minutes, he took it as a sign from the heavens, approving of their love. He turned to Judy and saw her still staring at the sky, fascinated. This was the mammal he fell in love with. This bright, beautiful, brilliant bunny who made him the fox he was today.

"Aren't they beautiful?" said Judy, smiling sweetly. She looked at Nick and realized he was watching her.

"Yeah, they sure are," he said.

Judy blushed. "Y-you can't see the stars if you keep staring at me, you know," she stammered.

Nick leaned closer to her, his emerald green eyes still gazing into her amethyst violet ones. Judy froze, unsure what to do.

"Tell me, Carrots," whispered Nick as he closed the distance between them. "Why do I need the stars in the sky when you already have all the brightest stars in your eyes?"

Under the starry night sky, he kissed her.

* * *

Two police officers were sitting in an unmarked car, watching Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.

"Oh…my…goodness!" squealed Benjamin Clawhauser. "That was so cute! And two minutes before midnight, I might add, which means…"

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Chief Bogo, crossing his arms. "You win. I'll buy the tickets tomorrow."

"Yes!" said Ben, bouncing in his seat. "I can't wait to see Gazelle in all her glory again! Do you think she'll ever look at me the way Judy looks at Nick?"

"No!" snapped Bogo. Then, in a lower voice, he added, "If she's going to be looking at anyone like that, it'll be me."

Ben laughed good-naturedly as Bogo started the car and drove away, leaving Nick and Judy alone together at the train station.


	2. Reverse POV

**A/N: After seeing such wonderful reviews, I decided to try my hand at writing a reverse POV of the original oneshot. The dialogue is the exact same, but it's written from mainly Judy's POV, and the POV of every scene is different from the original. If this isn't your thing, I understand. I also can't always stand reading the same story multiple times, and this is much longer than the original. However, if you do choose to read it, then I hope you enjoy!**

 **Creds to Leo for suggesting this to me in the reviews! I really enjoyed the challenge!**

* * *

Judy Hopps reorganized her pens for the thousandth time. Then she shuffled her finished paperwork for the hundredth time. Then she alphabetized her file cabinet for the tenth time. Then she reorganized her pens for the 1001st time.

 _I'm so bored!_ thought Judy gloomily, resisting the urge to slam her head against her desk. _I hate slow days at Precinct 1! I should be out there stopping crimes and protecting the citizens of Zootopia, not watching the seconds tick by like some bunny with a desk job!_

Judy was itching to at least get out of the building and go on patrol. Hell, she would even accept _parking duty_ if it meant getting out on the streets! Everyone else was finishing up their paperwork, but Judy already filed the necessary papers for a bank arrest she and her partner made yesterday.

 _Speaking of her partner…_

"Nick Wilde, get your paws off your desk and get to work!" she snapped at the lazy red fox that sat across from her, his feet propped up on his desk.

"Why work when it's such a beautiful day out, Carrots?" replied Nick with a smirk.

Judy rolled her eyes and frowned. "That makes no sense, and you know it. Hurry up. The sooner you finish your work, the sooner we can go on patrol."

Nick snickered, and Judy glared at him. She could see he hadn't even touched his paperwork yet, since it was currently acting as his footrest. They've been partners for two years now, but she was never able to cure him of his lazy and sarcastic attitude that Nick had when they first met. His sass was a constant annoyance in her life, especially with his infuriating smirk and his casual behavior and his cool demeanor and his perfect smile…

Judy flushed bright pink and quickly crushed the warm feeling in her chest. This was _not_ the time to be thinking about that! She snapped her fingers in front of Nick's face, hoping he wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

"Hey!" she shouted at him. "Are you even listening to me?"

Nick raised his eyebrows. "To you, Carrots? Never."

Judy scowled and crossed her arms. _I swear I'm going to tranquilize this fox one day…_ "Whatever," she muttered irritably. "I don't know how you managed to graduate from the Police Academy with that attitude."

Nick flashed her a grin. "It was my charm that got me through."

Judy felt her heartbeat quicken, but she snorted and acted nonchalant. "What charm? I haven't seen you with a single woman from the moment I met you two years ago."

"Don't you know?" said Nick lazily. "We foxes are not only sly, but we also have the ability to charm the socks off anyone we meet."

 _Including a certain bunny_ , whispered the infuriating voice in Judy's head that refused to be silenced. _That's it,_ thought Judy angrily. _I can't take it anymore._ She had to do something about this constant distraction.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked, her ears perking up with determination.

Nick gave her a _does-it-seem-like-I'm-joking?_ look. "Of course."

"Then I know what must be done," said Judy, ignoring the pain in her chest.

"I'm going to find you a girlfriend."

* * *

Judy took a dark satisfaction in Nick's shocked expression when he spit out his coffee.

"What?!" he asked incredulously.

"You need a woman in your life to keep you motivated," said Judy, quickly thinking of some way to explain her sudden outburst. "The only way to cure you of your lazy attitude is to get you a girlfriend who you'll constantly want to impress with your work ethic and heroics. This is the only way to get you on your feet."

"No, no way, Carrots," said Nick, shaking his head. "If I wanted a girlfriend, I would have one by now. There's nothing you can do to change my mind."

 _We'll see about that._ "Are you sure?" she asked, lifting up her carrot recording pen. "Remember when we went out for drinks and karaoke with the rest of the station?"

Judy almost laughed when Nick's entire body went rigid. "You didn't," he said, his ears flattening against his head.

"Oh, but I did," said Judy, spinning the pen between her fingers. "Your drunk rendition of Gazelle's 'Good Bye' was…interesting, to say the least. It would be a shame if this recording got broadcasted over the PA system…"

"Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

"That's not fair!"

 _It feels so nice to be the one in control for once,_ thought Judy with a smirk. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart. I'll let you delete the recording _if_ you go on three dates that I will set up for you."

Nick groaned. "Fine," he grumbled. "Fine, you win. I'll go on those dates, but you can't expect me to actually find love."

"I found fourteen missing mammals," replied Judy confidently. "I think I can find you a girlfriend." She flipped open her notepad, like she was questioning a witness. _I'm going to need a lead first._ "So…what is the woman of your dreams like?"

Judy rolled her eyes when Nick choked on his coffee. "I thought you were just going to send me on blind dates," said Nick between coughs.

"What am I, a mind reader?" Judy sighed and clicked her pen, jotting things down in her notebook while she waited. "Come on Wilde, we're burning daylight."

Judy's eyebrows rose when she saw Nick rapidly turn red. _He must be thinking of his ideal date_ , she thought. She briefly glanced down at her notebook and was surprised to see that she had unconsciously already written a name down…a name that was about to make her flush as red as Nick.

"Your ideal woman…?" said Judy expectantly, trying to hide the fact that she was furiously trying to stop herself from blushing.

"She has to be tough and energetic," said Nick reluctantly. "I don't need to be shackled to some depressed mammal for the evening."

"Tough and energetic, gotcha!" exclaimed Judy cheerfully. She hopped out of her seat. "Keep your evening open, Nick!" With that, she bounded out of the room, whistling happily.

However, the smile on her face was stiff, and her cheery attitude was forced. She looked at her pen.

 _Ah Nick, you dumb fox,_ she thought, clutching the pen tightly.

 _Did you really forget what else happened the night we went out to karaoke?_

* * *

 **The next day...**

Chief Bogo glared at his two best—and worst—officers all throughout roll call.

 _Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde are going to be the death of me,_ he swore to himself as he barked out the daily announcements. _Not only were they almost late to roll call, but they ran in_ _holding hands_ _. Holding. Hands. For a second there, I thought I already lost the bet I made with Clawhauser._

Chief Bogo wasn't a gambler, but when Gazelle tickets were on the line, he threw caution to the wind. Also, he and Clawhauser have been closely observing Nick and Judy for weeks, and they both knew it was only a matter of time until one of them confessed. In fact, the entire precinct knew they had feelings for each other. The only ones too blind to see it were the fox and bunny themselves.

 _Even so, this bet on when they will confess might be overstepping the line of professionalism,_ thought Chief Bogo with a pang of guilt. As the chief of police, he was worried that their relationship would affect their work. Relationships within the ZPD were allowed as long as they were reported to Animal Resources, but he didn't want to lose his two best officers.

"Uh, Chief?"

Chief Bogo was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Judy's voice. He realized that he had unconsciously assigned all of the cases of the day to everyone but them.

"Hey Chief," said Nick with a lazy grin. "I know I'm very handsome, but you can ease up on your stare a bit. There's plenty of me to go around."

"Shut it, Wilde," snapped Chief Bogo at the same time Judy kicked Nick under the table. He smirked when Nick yelped and rubbed his sore ankle.

"You two will be staking out an alleged catnip den in the east Savannah," said Bogo, briefly skimming the file before handing it to Judy. "If you have probable cause, then you can apprehend the suspects. Otherwise, just observe them and report back to me."

"We're on it, Chief!" exclaimed Judy, practically bursting with energy. Nick, on the other hand, rolled his eyes.

"We're _housesitting_?" asked Nick, sighing deeply. "Are you _sure_ that this is actually a catnip den and not just your own house that you need someone to watch? Hate to break it to you Chief, but houses are inanimate objects and typically don't move."

"Are you calling me a _liar_ , Wilde?" growled Bogo, his voice dangerously low.

Nick raised his paws in mock innocence. "I am not suggesting anything, beloved Chief," he said sarcastically. "I'm just saying that you can pay—"

Nick abruptly stopped talking when Judy kicked him again.

"Sorry about that," said Judy sheepishly. "We will catch these catnip dealers and bring them to justice!" With that, she grabbed Nick's paw for the second time that day and dragged him out. Before they rushed out of the room, Chief Bogo saw a hint of a fond smile on Nick's face. He chuckled to himself.

 _Hopps will keep him under control,_ he thought, realizing how ridiculous his fears were. Judy Hopps was the most dedicated officer he ever had, and she would never let her feelings interfere with her job. And Nick…he was dedicated to her.

 _Those two will be fine._

* * *

"1204 hours, still no sign of the perp," said Judy, looking out the window with a pair of binoculars.

"1204 hours, Officer Wilde is bored out of his mind," said Nick mockingly. "Why don't you take a break, Carrots? We've been monitoring this house for four hours now."

Judy rolled her eyes, knowing that Nick was probably reading a magazine when he was supposed to be keeping the peace. "Justice never takes a break."

Moments later, an irresistible smell wafted into Judy's nose. "Will justice take a break for a carrot crème donut?" Nick asked, waving the donut in front of her.

Judy's nose twitched, and her mouth watered at the tantalizing smell. After a moment's hesitation, she put down the binoculars and swiftly grabbed the donut out of Nick's paw.

"Thanks," she mumbled, nibbling on the donut. Wanting to avoid an awkward silence, and her own non-work related thoughts, Judy started talking. "While we're on break, I need to ask you how your date last night was."

Nick groaned, throwing his magazine down on the floor. "Sweet gal, but totally not my type," he said. "I forgot to mention that I'm not into gerbils."

Judy cringed internally. She knew getting a gerbil was a long shot. "Damn it!" said Judy, pounding her fist on the dash. "I was so sure I nailed the 'tough and energetic' angle!"

"Maybe you should give up," said Nick. Judy's ears twitched in annoyance. _He's not going to defeat me that easily._

"Judy Hopps does not give up," swore Judy. "I will do better tonight! I will find you your dream girl!"

Nick laughed. "Doubt it." Judy shot him a withering look, which only made Nick laugh harder. _He's so damn irritating!_ she thought to herself, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw his smile.

"You've got a little something on your face, Carrots," he said with a smirk.

Judy furrowed her brow and rubbed her mouth. "Is it gone now?" she asked.

"Most of it," said Nick. "But you've still got a little something _right_ below your whiskers. Here, I got it…"

He brought his paw up and lightly brushed it against her cheek and the corner of her lips. Once the realization of what he did sank in, the two of them quickly turned away from one another. Judy was trying her hardest to hold back the blush that was turning her face bright red.

 _He's just a friend,_ she reminded herself. _He wiped a few crumbs off your face, no biggie. There are no strings attached._ Trying to calm herself down, Judy peered through the binoculars again. In a quick sweep, she was delighted (and relieved) to see that a few suspicious figures were emerging from the building.

"We've got movement!" she exclaimed.

Three bobcats were loading several suspicious boxes into a large white van. Nick discreetly opened the window a crack and took a whiff.

"Oh, that's catnip, all right," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Lots of it."

"Sounds like probable cause to me!" said Judy as she opened the door and jumped out. She was itching to get some action.

"ZPD!" shouted Judy, flashing her badge. "We have some questions for you fellas."

The bobcats took off in a flash, quickly splitting up. Looking at each other for a brief second, Nick and Judy both wordlessly decided to go after the biggest bobcat, who looked like the leader.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps!" Judy yelled into her handheld radio transceiver as they ran. "We have a Z37, three suspects on the run! One headed north on Charleston Street, one headed east on Savannah Road, and one headed south on Angeles Drive. Officers Hopps and Wilde are in pursuit on Savannah Road but requesting backup on Angeles Drive and Charleston Street."

Judy was exuberant as the adrenaline pumped through her veins and her lithe legs propelled her forward. She didn't have to look to her right to know that Nick was right beside her, with his cool shades and his cocky grin. She didn't have to look to her right to know that his sleek red fur was glinting in the sunlight and that his beautiful emerald green eyes were sparkling with excitement. Judy felt her cheeks heat up again.

"Stop in the name of the law!" she shouted, trying to shake off the feeling.

The two of them followed the perp as he haphazardly cut across oncoming traffic, nearly causing a crash. Judy signaled to Nick to move onto the bridge and try to cut off the bobcat from the right. Judy pursued the bobcat, leaping over parked cars and sliding under startled pedestrians to keep up. The bobcat briefly glanced behind him to sneer at Judy…

Big mistake.

The bobcat tripped over Nick's outstretched paw.

"Why do they always run?" said Nick as Judy cuffed the bobcat. "They should know better than to run from the ZPD."

"Big words, coming from an ex-con," retorted Judy. They both pulled the bobcat up and led him back to the ZPD for questioning.

"Ok, you have to give me another hint," said Judy, looking up at Nick mischievously. "What else do you see in your dream woman?"

Nick glared at her. "We just cuffed a perp, and you want to talk about my love life?" he asked. "That's not like you, Carrots."

"Justice has been served, but _you_ still don't have a girlfriend," replied Judy. "Come on, just one little hint."

Judy beamed when she saw Nick smile at her. It wasn't his cheeky grin or his mocking smirk. It was a smile that Judy only got to see rarely, but when she did, she wanted that moment to last forever. Judy was secretly glad that there was a side of Nick that only she got to see.

"A strong sense of justice," Nick finally replied. Judy's heart skipped a beat, thinking of the name at the top of her list.

 _He can't possibly…_ Judy shook her head. There was no way. Nick definitely had someone else in mind. She forced herself to smile, hoping that Nick didn't notice the shadow that crossed her face.

"One mammal with a strong sense of justice coming right up!" she said quickly. "I'll take this bobcat to booking, and you can get started on your paperwork." With that, she bounced away, desperately hoping that the pain in her chest wouldn't last long.

* * *

Nick was sitting in the bullpen, ignoring the pile of paperwork that Judy dropped off a few minutes ago.

"Dumb bunny," he muttered darkly to himself. "Trying to set me up on dates with random mammals I have no interest in. When will she learn that some things are best left to their own devices?" Nick still didn't understand why Judy was trying so hard to find him a girlfriend. He was perfectly content with staying single, hanging out at the precinct, catching criminals with Judy, filling out paperwork with Judy, eating lunch with Judy, eating dinner with Judy, spending every waking moment with Judy…

Nick shook himself out of his thoughts, startled. His entire mind had been dominated by Judy before he even knew it.

 _Friends,_ he reminded himself. _She is a very important friend to me. I wouldn't want a girlfriend to break off the connection I have with Carrots._

"Do you think I have a chance with Officer Hopps?"

Nick was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Judy's name. He looked over his desk and saw Officer McHorn talking to Officer Wolfard.

"I mean, she's just so perfect and determined," continued Officer Wolfard with a dreamy look on his face that disgusted Nick. "Ever since Judy busted that missing mammals case, I've had my eye on her."

Nick bristled. First of all, he also helped bust the missing mammals case. It was the two of them that caught Bellwether. Judy _and_ Nick. Second of all, Officer Wolfard did not deserve Judy. They barely even knew each other!

 _Who does Wolfard think he is?_ Though Nick angrily. _Trying to take away_ _my_ _Judy?_

 _My Judy?_

Nick pushed his own words out of his head and stood up, approaching Wolfard with a deceptively lazy grin. Officer McHorn saw Nick out of the corner of his eye and turned pale at the sight of Nick's hostile demeanor.

"Officer Wilde!" said Officer Wolfard cheerfully, oblivious to Nick's glare. "We were just talking about your partner! I would really like your opinion on this matter."

"Ah yes!" said Nick, pretending to be surprised. "I would _love_ to help you! What can I do for you today?"

"Well, it's about Officer Hopps," replied Wolfard, blushing furiously. "Do you think I would have a chance with her? She's been so nice to me these days, so I'm thinking of asking her out to dinner tonight? Do you think she would say yes?"

"Let me think," said Nick, sarcastically rubbing his chin. "Unfortunately, I think she's just too busy tonight."

"Maybe another night then?" asked Wolfard hopefully, not noticing McHorn's frantic gesture to stop talking.

"Ouch, I'm afraid that's not possible either," said Nick with a sympathetic smile. "You see, Judy has a secret about wolves…"

"What is it?" asked Wolfard curiously.

Nick leaned in, whispering into Wolfard's ear. "She hates howling."

Wolfard froze, and then his ears drooped. "That's horrible!" he said, looking at the floor in disappointment. "How could she hate howling?"

"Ever since that case with the wolves, Carrots just hasn't be the same," said Nick with a sigh. "She freezes up whenever she hears a howl. She said she would heal with time, but it's been two years, you know…"

Nick patted Wolfard on the back. "It's ok, buddy. There are plenty of mammals in the city."

"I know," whimpered Wolfard. "But Judy is one of a kind! Where else can I find a mammal with a strong sense of justice that is as tough and energetic as Judy Hopps?"

Nick felt his heart skip a beat, but he ignored it. "You'll find someone, I know it," he replied. He saw Judy's ears poke above the crowd as she turned the corner. "Look, here she comes now. Tell you what, you can leave now, and I'll never tell Judy we had this conversation. We can keep this between us."

Wolfard gave Nick a sad but grateful smile. "Thanks Wilde," he said. Wolfard and McHorn headed back to their own desks, and Nick waved to them as they left.

"Hey partner!" chirped Judy. "What were you talking to McHorn and Wolfard about?"

"Oh, nothing," said Nick with a smirk. He felt a little guilty about lying to Wolfard, but not enough to tell Judy what happened. Besides, he made a promise, and foxes _always_ kept their promises!

"Wonderful news!" continued Judy, not noticing Nick's mischievous look. "I got you another date!"

Nick shot her an exasperated look. "You still haven't given up?"

"Nope!" said Judy cheerfully. "I told you, you need a girlfriend to motivate you, and, based off that stack of unfinished paperwork, you aren't properly motivated yet. We are justice's agents, Nick, and you got to step up to the plate!" She handed Nick a piece of paper. "I already booked a table for two at this location. Her name is Officer Lewlynxsky, and she has the strong sense of justice that you said you were looking for."

"Uh huh," said Nick skeptically. "You do know that I have never even talked to her before?"

"That's ok," replied Judy with a reassuring smile. "It's good to meet new people! And if you're ever going to get the recording of you singing back, you better show up!"

Nick groaned and shoved the piece of paper into his pocket. He wanted to refuse, but he could never say no to Carrots' smile. "Fine," he muttered.

Judy's ears perked up. "Great! Now get started on that paperwork. It's not going to sign itself!"

"Carrots, we're in Zootopia, where anyone can choose to be anything," said Nick sarcastically. "And I choose to be lazy."

Judy rolled her eyes. "If Chief Bogo comes to yell at us, I'm handcuffing you to the desk so that you won't ditch me to take all the heat again."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," replied Nick, smirking. Judy glared at him one last time before turning her attention to her own stack of paperwork.

 _Wolfard was right about one thing_ , thought Nick as he watched Judy work.

 _She really is one of a kind._

* * *

Judy laid in her bed, staring up at her apartment ceiling.

"I knew I shouldn't have let Nick talk me into that last cup of coffee," she mumbled to herself. "Now I can't fall asleep."

After finally convincing Nick to finish up his share of the paperwork, Judy headed home and parted ways with Nick at the train station.

 _He's probably done with his date by now,_ thought Judy. _I hope he got home safely._

Judy wondered if Nick got along with Officer McClaw. The two of them seemed pretty compatible, and Officer McClaw was fairly attractive. Maybe Nick finally found his soulmate…or not.

 _Stop that,_ thought Judy angrily. She desperately wanted to crush the side of her that was hoping Nick wouldn't find love tonight. As his partner, Judy should've been happy when she set up a date for Nick. Instead, she hated herself for doing this. Judy looked at the notebook of names on her desk, feeling very conflicted. With every clue that Nick gave her, the list dwindled. Still, there was one name at the top of the list that she couldn't bring herself to cross out…

"Curse you, Nicholas Wilde!" she shouted in frustration, kicking the wall. "Devastatingly handsome bastard!"

"Hey! Keep it down over there!" came a muffled voice through the wall.

"Stop bothering her!" snapped another voice. "Can't you see that she's trying to figure out the many complexities that come with falling in love with her partner?"

"Don't tell me what to do, you loser!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Judy groaned and buried her head in her pillow. When her neighbors got riled up like this, it took a good hour for them to calm down. "At least their constant shouting is somewhat of a distraction from my own thoughts," she mumbled to herself irritably. However, even with her neighbors' never ending argument, she found that, like the last several weeks at work, her thoughts were filled with Nick. She hated this because it was a distraction from the work that she lived and breathed. Judy loved being a cop. Justice ran in her blood. How could she let her own partner distract her from her job?

 _When did I become so weak?_ she wondered. _Up until recently, we were just good friends. When did I start feeling this way?_ However, even as she asked herself that question, Judy realized that she already knew the answer. Everything that she felt could be traced back to that night of drunken karaoke three months ago, but while Judy remembered everything, Nick remembered nothing. All these confusing feelings were felt only by Judy. Judy sighed and closed her eyes. She drifted to sleep, dreaming the same dream that had plagued her for a while…

* * *

 _ **Three months ago…**_

" _You dumb fox!" snapped Judy as she fumbled with Nick's apartment keys. "Stop leaning on me!"_

" _Aren't you an angry armrest?" slurred Nick. "You're just the perfect height for me to lean against. It's like you're a portable wall!"_

 _Judy rolled her eyes and ignored the rest of Nick's nonsensical rambling. He drank way too much at the karaoke bar a few hours ago, resulting in some…interesting behavior. Finally, Chief Bogo told Judy that she would have to take her partner home, or else she would have to arrest him for causing a public disturbance._

" _Who would've thought that out of everyone at the precinct, you would be the worst at controlling your alcohol consumption?" she asked as she pushed open the apartment door._

 _Nick stumbled in after Judy, grinning. "Hey, I know how to have a good time. You, on the other hand, unless sipping water while reminding everyone to call a cab if they feel tipsy is your idea of fun, are a party pooper."_

 _Judy scowled at Nick. "Getting drunk would mean that I wouldn't be able to put in 110% effort at work tomorrow, and there is nothing more important than protecting the citizens of Zootopia!"_

 _Nick snickered and placed his elbow on Judy's shoulder. "Sure thing, cute bunny."_

" _I told you not to call me cute!" shouted Judy, but her heart skipped a beat. She frowned, confused._

This has been happening more and more often, _she thought to herself. Lately, she's been becoming more aware of Nick whenever he was around her. Judy couldn't quite understand why he made her feel so flustered all the time. This never happened in the past…_

 _The sound of glass shattering pulled Judy out of her thoughts. Judy looked up startled, and saw that Nick was staring at a broken drinking glass in confusion._

" _Well…that happened," Nick said, looking at the mess with a slight frown._

 _The look on Nick's face made Judy giggle. For once, he didn't have his trademark smirk on his face. Instead, he looked like a little kid who just dropped his Popsicle. Though she didn't know why, Judy liked that there was a side of Nick that only she could see._

" _Come on there, cowboy," teased Judy, holding Nick's paw and gently leading him away from the mess. "I'll clean up and get you a glass of water. You just head on to bed."_

 _Nick nodded, still kind of in a daze. Judy chuckled and grabbed the broom and dishpan. After sweeping up the shards of glass, Judy was about to grab a new glass when she heard another crashing sound from Nick's bedroom. She groaned._

" _What happened this time?" she asked, peeking through the doorway._

" _I changed out of my uniform but knocked over the lamp in the process," grumbled Nick._

" _Clumsy fox," said Judy, grabbing the broom and dishpan. "How did you ever make it out of the police academy with your two left feet?"_

" _Well Carrots," said Nick as Judy swept up the remnants of the lamp. "After you showed the world that anyone could do anything, even a clumsy fox like myself could get through training!"_

 _Judy blushed at his subtle compliment, but she refused to look at him. "Sweet-talking won't get you anywhere, you know?" she muttered._

" _Ah, and here I thought I could worm my way past your strong sense of justice and convince you to let me skip work tomorrow," said Nick with a smirk._

" _Definitely not!" snapped Judy. "There is no way I will put your personal wishes above the safety of Zootopia!"_

" _Ok, cute bunny."_

 _Judy lightly slapped Nick on his snout. "Don't call me cute!"_

 _Judy didn't think she hit him that hard, but Nick jerked back, grabbing his snout._

" _Ouch Carrots!" he said, rolling around in pain._

 _Judy quickly rushed to him, her ears drooping in guilt. "Nick!" she said, slightly panicked. Judy leaned close to him, trying to get him to move his paws from his face. "Nick, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you so hard." She gently placed her paws over his, bringing her face closer to his to inspect the wound. "Please, just let me look and I'll—"_

 _Nick cut her off with a kiss._

 _It only lasted a second, but Judy was completely immobilized even when Nick pulled away._

" _Got you," he said cheekily._

" _Y-you dumb fox!" stuttered Judy when she regained her power of speech. "Are you so drunk that you've lost your common sense?!"_

" _I was just trying to get you to lighten up a bit, Carrots," said Nick, straightening up. "You're always so tense, especially when we're on the job."_

 _Judy's heart was pounding so hard that she could barely hear herself speak. "Of course!" she snapped. "The job means everything to me! What is more important that making Zootopia a better place? It's all I think about!"_

 _Nick flashed her a bright grin. "I was just hoping there was enough room in your thoughts for me."_

 _Nick's words made Judy's breath catch in her throat. She couldn't think straight enough to respond._

" _Ha! I'm just kidding, Carrots."_

 _Judy looked at him, startled._

" _Don't get your ears in a twist," said Nick with a drunk laugh. "I know you're married to your job."_

 _Judy felt her heart plummet. "I—I'm going to get you some water!" she stammered. She bounced out of the room as quickly as she could and promptly doused herself with tap water._

Of course he's kidding! _she thought angrily to herself._ We're partners, and he's drunk! Nick always loves a good joke. I'm not even surprised he gets flirty when he's drunk. He'll probably forget everything in the morning anyway.

 _Still, Judy couldn't calm herself. When Nick kissed her, in that split second, she felt a blizzard of emotions. Shock. Confusion. Anger._

 _Happiness._

 _Judy filled up a glass with water and slowly walked back to Nick's room, taking deep breaths along the way. She steeled her nerves and carefully arranged her features into a neutral expression._

We are partners, _Judy reminded herself._ We are both dedicated to the job, so for both our sakes', I must pretend like this never happened. The peace of Zootopia is more important than this mess.

 _Judy walked in and saw that Nick had crawled into bed, now in a half-drunk stupor. "I'm going to regret this in the morning," mumbled Nick, his arm covering his eyes._

 _Judy smirked. "Yes, yes you will."_

 _Nick let out a long sigh. "You're acting smug now, Carrots, but you're the one that has to fill out my share of the paperwork tomorrow when I'm hung over."_

 _Judy's eyes widened, and then she punched his shoulder. "You dumb fox!"_

 _Nick grinned and turned away from Judy, pulling his blanket over himself. "You know you love me," he mumbled, already almost asleep._

 _Judy, with a sigh, put the water on the night stand and smiled slightly at the sight of his drunken state. Already, she could feel her resolve crumbling as she finally came to terms with why she had been acting weirdly around her partner for the last few weeks. Knowing that Nick was now fast asleep, she whispered, "Yes, yes I do._

 _I love you so much that it hurts."_

* * *

 **Present…**

Judy stood outside of Nick's apartment door, hesitating.

"I hate myself," she muttered, looking at the bag of pastries she picked up on the way to Savanna Square. "Why did I think this was a good idea?"

She dreamt the same dream again, and she woke up with a keen pain in her chest. In a moment of weakness, Judy hopped on a bus to the Savannah to see Nick, but now that she was here, she wanted to run away.

 _Pull yourself together, Judy Hopps!_ she thought angrily to herself. _You used to visit Nick's apartment all the time. He won't find it strange._

With a deep breath, she started knocking on the door, forcing herself to be as cheery as possible. "Nick! Ni-ick!" sang Judy. "Open up, Nick!"

After a few minutes, Nick opened the door and greeted Judy's smile with a glare. Judy nearly laughed at the sleepy and angry expression on Nick's face.

"Morning partner!" said Judy, stepping into his apartment. "Ready for another day of crime fighting?"

"Our shift doesn't start until 10, dumb bunny," said Nick, lightly punching her on the shoulder. "I could've gotten at least another 2 hours of sleep if you didn't show up."

"The early bunny gets the carrot," said Judy brightly, gently poking Nick in the side. Her eyes widened when she saw Nick flinch slightly. She poked him again.

"What are you doing, Carrots?" asked Nick, moving away from her.

"Are you ticklish?" asked Judy devilishly.

"What? No!" said Nick, but he looked off to the side, which Judy knew was a sign that he was lying.

"You are!" exclaimed Judy. In an instant, her fingers was all over him, tickling him relentlessly. The two of them hopped around the apartment in a strange dance as Nick tried to avoid her fingers and Judy attacked him while laughing hysterically. After a few minutes, Judy finally tackled him to the floor and subjected him to an extreme tickle attack.

"Alright, alright!" said Nick, holding his arms up in surrender. "You win, Carrots! Just stop tickling me!"

Judy finally stopped, but she continued giggling to herself. "That was fun," she said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're awake now."

It took a moment for them to realize that Judy was still sitting on top of Nick.

Judy quickly climbed off, and Nick stood up abruptly. Judy tried her best to stop the blood from rushing into her cheeks.

"What brings you to Savannah Central this morning?" questioned Nick. "I assume it's not just for my award-winning smile."

 _He's acting normal,_ thought Judy, relieved. _I'll just follow his lead._

"Oh yeah!" Judy looked around for the bag she left on the floor. "I bought you breakfast." She handed him a blueberry scone. "I also wanted to ask you about your date with Officer Lewlynxsky last night!"

"You really ought to do your research before setting up this dates, Carrots," said Nick, chewing his scone and taking a seat at his kitchen counter. "Lewlynxsky already has a boyfriend."

"Oh!" said Judy, turning red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that must've been really awkward."

"It's fine, Carrots. That just means you have one less chance to find my soul mate or whatever," said Nick with a smirk. Judy scowled and sulked, jumping into the chair next to him.

"You're never going to find love with that attitude," she muttered angrily, pulling a slice of carrot cake out of the paper bag.

"And what do you know about finding love?" asked Nick, amused. "As far as I can tell, you're married to your job."

"Hey! My parents taught me a thing or two about love," snapped Judy. _And there's the fact that I'm in love with you. Then again, since I fell for an ex-con, maybe I do have judgement issues…_

"Really?" said Nick in mock surprise. "Tell me, Carrots, how do you find your soul mate in a town where everyone looks almost the same?"

Judy glared at him. She knew he was baiting her, but she decided to go with it. "Well, my mom told me that the moment she first knew that she was in love with my dad was when they went on a date to the Farmer's Market."

"How exciting."

"Stuff it, Nick! Anyway, my mom got separated from my dad while looking at some sweet strawberries, and she was very worried she wouldn't be able to find him since the market was so crowded at the time."

"And all you bunnies look the same."

"I said stuff it, Nick! I'm trying to tell a story!" said Judy, glaring at him again. Nick chuckled and gestured at her to keep talking.

"When my mom looked into the crowd, however," continued Judy. "She instantly locked on to him. Not because of pure coincidence, but because if you see something you've thought about a lot, it'll immediately stick out to you. That's when my mom realized that she did think about my dad a lot, all the time, in fact, and that's when she knew she was in love."

Judy trailed off, looking out of the window. Her parents were truly a match made in heaven. She remembered growing up in their loving household, dreaming of the day when she could experience a love as pure as theirs. But now, she understood that love was a cruel mistress.

Sighing, Judy turned back to Nick. "What other characteristics does your perfect girl have?" she asked. Then, when Nick didn't respond, Judy began waving her hand in front of his snout. "Nick! I was asking you a question!"

"You were?"

"Yes, dumb fox." Judy sighed. "Are there any more characteristics your perfect girl has that could help me narrow my search?"

Nick sighed as well. Judy felt a pang of guilt for forcing him on this dating quest just so that she could focus on her work, but the evil grin that slowly spread on his face quickly crushed the guilt.

"Gray fur and violet eyes," he said smugly. "Let's see you find a match now."

Judy's heart nearly stopped. She almost wanted to cry. He was being too cruel to her. She thought about the first name on her list that she kept ignoring but couldn't bring herself to cross out. This wasn't fair. Using the last of her resolve, Judy forced herself to grin and pulled out her cellphone, quickly punching in a number.

"Hello?" said a female voice on the other end.

"Hello, Officer McClaw," said Judy, feeling her chest tighten with every word. "I'm Officer Hopps! We met at the Annual ZPD Gala. You asked me about my partner, Officer Wilde."

"Ah yes!" said Officer McClaw. "How are you? How's your partner?"

"I'm doing well, and my partner is doing even better," lied Judy. "I'm sorry I forgot to pass on your invitation to dinner. In fact, I told him about you, and he decided to ask you to lunch today."

"Wonderful! Tell him I'll see him at McCatlister's later today," exclaimed Officer McClaw.

"Will do." Judy hung up and turned to Nick. "You're in luck! I met an officer at the Annual ZPD Gala—which you skipped—who just happens to meet your oddly specific criteria." She quickly finished her slice of carrot cake and hopped out of her seat.

"I've arranged for you two to meet during your lunch break!" said Judy as she headed out the door. "See you at the precinct!"

Judy was barely out of the building when the tears started flowing.

* * *

Nick was going insane.

 _Does this fox ever shut up?_ Nick thought to himself as he glared at Officer McClaw. He just wanted to get this dreadful date over with, but Officer McClaw, a lovely silver fox with amethyst eyes, obviously had other plans. She showed up in a stunning red dress and obviously stopped at a salon this morning. Nick, on the other hand, had a stain on his uniform and was dragged here by Judy after their morning shift.

"So, how's work?" asked Officer McClaw, trying to start up the conversation again.

"Oh, the usual," said Nick flatly. "Arresting criminals one minute, and then being forced on dates by my crazy partner the next. Same old, same old."

Officer McClaw giggled and playfully shoved Nick. "Aw, you're funny!"

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. "At least I'm as funny as you are annoying," he muttered.

To be honest, he wasn't sure why he hated Officer McClaw. Once upon a time, she would've totally been his type. He had gone out with several vixens like her in the past, but for some reason, everything about Officer McClaw bothered him.

"Look, Officer McClaw—"

"Please, call me Angel,"" purred Officer McClaw.

"Officer McClaw," continued Nick, ignoring her. "I don't know what my partner told you to get you here, but she was mistaken. I'm not interested in dating right now."

"You're just playing hard to get," teased Officer McClaw. "No matter what you think you know now, I'm sure I can change your mind."

Nick felt her high heels rub against his paws under the table. He quickly moved his paws away with an annoyed 'tsk'.

 _Playing pawsy under the table?_ he thought. _What is she, a kindergartner?_

"What do you like to do for fun?" asked Officer McClaw.

"I participate in several recreational activities, many of which I would rather be doing than be here," said Nick sarcastically. "In fact, I heard watching _paint dry_ is more intellectually stimulating than this conversation."

Nick saw a flash of shock in Officer McClaw's eyes. She obviously wasn't used to being rejected.

"I—I see," said Officer McClaw, collecting herself with amazing speed. "I still think we can enjoy our time together. Maybe we could take about the missing mammal case that you solved."

 _Wait what?_ "You mean the case that Officer Hopps and I solved, right?" said Nick.

"Oh, that's what the newspapers say," replied Officer McClaw with a sly smile. "But I think we both know that a case of that scale requires a certain level of intelligence that only certain mammals have."

Nick bristled. "What are you saying?"

"Well, we are clever foxes," whispered Officer McClaw conspiratorially.

"And she's just a dumb bunny."

Something in Nick snapped.

 _That's it!_ he thought angrily. _I'm done with her!_

"How dare you say that about my partner!" he hissed. Officer McClaw flinched and immediately tried to apologize, but Nick was having none of it.

"I'll have you know that you can't even hold a candle to her dedication to her job!" Nick snapped. "While she's bright and brilliant, you're dull and boring! Without her, I would still be running some second rate scam on the streets. You, you're not even close to how amazing Officer Hopps is, especially not with your thrift store dress and clown makeup."

At this point, Officer McClaw looked absolutely scandalized, but Nick wasn't done with her yet.

"Your shoes look like you bought them from me, and that's not a compliment," he added. "You insult my partner's intelligence, but at least she would be smart enough not to paint her nails that hideous shade of blue. And your snout?

It looks like an elephant's trunk."

Nick had more to say, but he was cut off when a slice of pie flew at his face.

"You're the worst!" yelled Officer McClaw. She grabbed her purse and stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Nick sitting dumbfounded in his chair.

"Well this certainly didn't go as planned," muttered Nick, his fur burning under the glares of the other restaurant patrons. "I guess I'll just go join up with Carrots a little early. At least she can't possibly get herself in more trouble than I did."

* * *

Judy got herself in more trouble than Nick did.

"Stop in the name of the law!" she shouted at the two bobcats desperately trying to flee. She recognized these two as the bobcats who escaped from the catnip den yesterday and immediately chased after them. However, the adrenaline was wearing off, and she was struggling to keep up with them.

 _Where's Nick when I need him?_ thought Judy as she continued to weave in and out of the crowd. Normally, through their nonverbal communication honed by time, the two of them would've devised a plan to take down both bobcats. Judy was alone this time.

 _You chose to be alone,_ said a snide voice in her head. _You were the one that sent him on a hunt for love._

"It's not the time for second thoughts!" she muttered angrily to herself as she dodged a corn vendor. However, as the crowd got thicker and Judy's breath grew more labored, she realized what an idiot she was. Why did she always insist on doing everything alone? Sure, being a police officer had been her dream, but Nick was the one that made it a reality. He was a partner, though she was the better half, and they made a damn good team. Nick would save her, and then she would save him. She was a great police officer on her own.

Nick made her a wonderful one.

Judy was on the verge of giving up when a red blur flew out of nowhere and knocked the two bobcats to the ground.

"You…are…under…arrest," gasped Nick.

After getting over her shock, Judy pinned down one of the bobcats and cuffed him, barking out to him the Miranda Rights he was entitled to. She looked over at Nick and saw that he was staring at her. Though she wasn't running anymore, Judy's heart continued to pound.

"Nick! I knew you would come!" she said as they escorted the bobcats back to the precinct. "You always have my back."

"Of course, Carrots," responded Nick with a grin. "You're the one who always needs saving."

Judy couldn't stop smiling. For just this one moment, she decided to bring down all the barriers she put up around her, and just let her heart soar.

* * *

It was nearly 11 at night. Nick and Judy were walking along the lamp-lit sidewalk on their way to the train station. They stayed in the precinct late so that they could finish up all their paperwork before the weekend.

"What an exciting day!" exclaimed Judy, her eyes sparkling. "I can't believe we took down two perps in one fell swoop!"

Nick smiled at her. "We sure make a great team, you and I," he said.

"We sure do," said Judy, smiling back at him. "I don't know why the Chief's reports say things like 'uncontrollable' and 'disruptive'. We're great!"

The two of them arrived at the train station and took a seat on an empty bench. "It's been such an exciting day that I forgot to ask you how your date went," said Judy, swinging her legs back and forth. _Time to return to reality,_ she thought bitterly.

"Wonderful," replied Nick. "She just pied me in the face and left in a huff, which I heard is a universal sign of affection."

Judy groaned and placed a paw on her forehead. "Come on, Nick! I thought you were supposed to be charming."

"I am _very_ charming," protested Nick. "She just doesn't understand my sarcasm like you do."

"You mean, she doesn't tolerate your sarcasm like I do," retorted Judy, though a small part of her was happy that Nick was intolerable to anyone but her. She sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out her carrot pan. "A promise is a promise," she said, handing him the pen. "Here you go."

Before Judy had a chance to blink, Nick pulled her outstretched paw to the side and handcuffed her to the bench.

"Hey!" shouted Judy, tugging at the cuffs. "What gives?"

"We played your game, now it's time to play mine," said Nick with a smirk. "I'm not giving you the keys until you answer my questions _truthfully_."

"Sly fox!"

"Dumb bunny."

"That's not fair!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart," said Nick, spinning the key ring around on his finger. "You can play the game, or you can stay here all night. Your choice."

Judy glared at him for a second, then she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she snapped. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to help me find a girlfriend?"

Judy looked at him like he was stupid, but her heart skipped a beat. _He can't possibly know…_ "I already told you, Nick," snapped Judy, sticking to her story even as her palms grew sweaty. "You need a girlfriend to improve your work eth—"

"Yeah, no," interrupted Nick, shooting her an exasperated look. "We've been together long enough for me to know when you're not telling me the whole truth."

"I _am_ telling you the truth, you dumb fox!" growled Judy. She felt something welling up in her chest, and she felt like she was about to burst. "Let me go!"

"Nope, I'm not convinced," said Nick, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Judy felt a lump in her throat. She never expected him to confront her like this, so she really didn't know what to do. Judy began trembling as all the buried feelings and unspoken words began bubbling forth uncontrollably. "Fine," she hissed angrily. "You want to know why I want to get you a girlfriend? It's because you're too infuriating to be around anymore!"

Nick took a step back, shocked. " _What?"_ he whispered.

"It's true!" said Judy, her voice shaking with the force of her emotions. "Every time you sit in the bullpen with your feet on your desk, I want to hit something because you look so handsome and cool in your uniform! Every time we catch a criminal, I want to scream in frustration because all I want is for you to wrap your arms around me and dance with joy! Every time you grin at me, my heart starts doing all these flips and butterflies start fluttering in my stomach and I can't stand it any longer! Every time I'm around you, I have to work to keep my snout shut because all I want to say is that I…"

Judy trailed off, and her ears drooped forward, covering her face. She had done it. She ruined their friendship. Nick was probably shocked that she would see their friendship in such a way. However, she felt his arms wrap around her. Judy stiffened, and then she continued crying, wetting Nick's uniform with tears.

"All I want to say is that I love you, Nicholas Wilde," said Judy between sobs. "I love you so much and it's tearing me apart. I can't concentrate on my job, I can't concentrate at home, I can't concentrate on anything but you and it infuriates me! What hurts the most is that I know I want the impossible because even now, you're probably thinking of some snarky joke to humiliate me when what I really want to hear you say is—"

"I love you too, Judy."

Judy looked up at Nick in surprise, and Nick smiled as her brushed her ears back.

"It took me a while to realize it, but I've been describing you for the entirety of your crazy girlfriend hunt," he said, tucking her head under his neck. "That's why you had such a hard time trying to find a perfect match because you were never going to be able to find yourself. You're my best friend and perfect soulmate, Judy Hopps. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that."

Judy's heart wouldn't stop pounding. Finally, after all this time, she could accept her feelings for what they were. She was wrong to believe Nick was a distraction. He was her greatest motivation to keep doing what she loved. Being a part of the ZPD wasn't as fun without him. After a few minutes, Judy drew back, wiping her eyes.

"Well, that was embarrassing," she joked, laughing nervously. "Are you going to uncuff me now?"

"Oh, I already did a while ago," said Nick, holding up the cuffs with a smug grin.

"What?! When?!"

"While you were confessing your love for me." Nick smirked as Judy's face turned beet red. "You bunnies are so emotional." Judy was about to reply with a scathing response when something in the sky caught her attention.

"Nick! Look!" she exclaimed. A shower of stars was raining down on the earth, coating the night in diamonds. She felt truly happy, the happiest she felt in a very long time.

"Aren't they beautiful?" said Judy, smiling sweetly. She looked at Nick and realized he was watching her.

"Yeah, they sure are," he said.

Judy blushed. "Y-you can't see the stars if you keep staring at me, you know," she stammered.

Nick leaned closer to her, his emerald green eyes still gazing into her amethyst violet ones. Judy froze, unsure what to do.

"Tell me, Carrots," whispered Nick as he closed the distance between them. "Why do I need the stars in the sky when you already have all the brightest stars in your eyes?"

Under the starry night sky, he kissed her.

The small notebook in Judy's back pocket fell out and onto the floor, and a small gust of wind blew it open to a page full of names. On it, all the names were crossed out…except for one written hesitantly at the top.

 _Judy Hopps._

* * *

Two police officers were sitting in an unmarked car, watching Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.

"We were right, weren't we?" said Officer Lewlynxsky, looking at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, but it was obvious to anyone who looked at them," said Officer Wolfard. "They just needed a little push in the right direction."

"It wasn't that hard to get Officer Hopps to waste one of her date opportunities for Nick on me," said Lewlynxsky deviously.

"It was a piece of cake to get Nick jealous and nudge him toward realizing his real feelings for Hopps," said Wolfard mischievously.

The two true masterminds of Nick and Judy's rocky quest for love laughed, and then they followed the other police car out of the train station parking lot.


End file.
